The legendary batsman Virat Kohli captained the Indian cricket team for the final time in T20Is, and he did so with a thrashing of Namibia to complete their campaign in the 2017 T20 World Cup. His T20I career, on the other hand, came to an end without an ICC trophy.
Virat Kohli announced his retirement from the Indian T20 captaincy ahead of the event.
Following India’s poor start to the T20 World Cup 2021, which included humiliating losses to Pakistan and New Zealand, many fingers were directed towards the leadership attitude of the Indian captain.
In fact, there were questions over his future as a captain in the game’s other two formats as well. Many cricketers, specialists and fans, on the other hand, came out in support of the Virat.
Virender Sehwag, a former Indian cricketer and great hitter, recently spoke out in favour of Virat Kohli. Sehwag feels the 33-year-old has been “brilliant” as captain and that he should continue to lead the team in ODIs and Tests.
It all started when Sehwag was talking with his followers on his official Facebook page, and he responded to a fan’s inquiry on Kohli’s decision to stand down as captain of T20 format. He stated,
“This is Virat’s decision but I don’t think he should leave the rest two format’s captaincy. If he wants to play just as a player, it is his decision. I feel under his captaincy, India is playing good and his record as a captain is brilliant.”
He further added,
“He is a good player, an aggressive captain and leads from the front. I reiterate that leaving or not leaving captaincy in ODIs and Tests should be his personal decision.”
However, the former Sehwag stated that the team should introspect on its disappointing performance in this ICC tournament. He said,
“I know we should support the team during bad times but it’s been a long time we haven’t won any major ICC tournament. India should definitely introspect on it. Winning bilateral series is one thing but people only remember you if you win world tournaments consistently.”
Will Rohit Sharma replace Virat Kohli as a new T20 captain?
While the BCCI has already declared that Rahul Dravid will be the next head coach of the Indian cricket team, the Indian board is yet to name the next captain of the game’s shortest format.
Though the BCCI has yet to make a formal announcement on India’s future T20 captain, Virat Kohli and outgoing head coach Ravi Shastri have both hinted that Rohit Sharma will take over as the team’s captain.
Ravi Shastri spoke about Rohit Sharma at a virtual news conference on Monday, highlighting his credentials that he is the most successful captain in the IPL, with five trophies, and has also led India to victories in competitions such as the Nidahas Trophy and Asia Cup – Ravi Shastri has stated that he is waiting in the wings to take over as India’s captain. He said,
“I think in Rohit you’ve got a very capable guy. He’s won so many IPLs. He’s the vice-captain of this side. He’s waiting in the wings to take that job.”
Ravi Shastri was also questioned about Virat Kohli’s decision to resign as T20 captain and how India would have separate captains for each format. Shastri, when asked about it, said,
“I think it’s not such a bad thing because of the bubble and because of the amount of cricket being played. The players need to be rotated around and given the space, they need to spend some time with their families, see their parents. Like I said, when a guy doesn’t go home for six months, he might have his family with him, but if he’s got parents and other family and you don’t get a chance to see them, it’s not easy at all.”
Virat Kohli has already hinted that India’s next T20 skipper is in good hands by stating that the squad is in good hands.
India has not won an ICC trophy since winning the Champions Trophy in 2013 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s leadership. According to certain rumours, the BCCI would also dismiss Virat Kohli as ODI captain and pick a skipper for both ODIs and T20Is.
Probably, Virat is going through the most difficult period of his life. Let’s hope that Virat Kohli will come in his old form and make India victorious again.